PRESS

Good on Paper

March 5-26, 2021
Opening Celebration: Saturday, March 6; drop in from 11am to 4pm 

 Good on Paper is the gallery’s first-ever exhibition of works on paper, featuring paintings by Susan Altman, Susan Colwell, Aimee Erickson, Kathleen Jones, Laurie Meyer, Melanie Parke, Anne Darby Parker, Marissa Vogl, and Carrie Beth Waghorn. 

 “We thought we’d kick off the first show of 2021 with something a little different: paper,” says director Katie Geer. “Most of these artists tend to work on canvas, and there’s something a little freeing – and perhaps a little bit thrilling – about the different surface.” Artist Melanie Parke largely turned to paper during the height of Covid lock-down . “I love how working on paper feels so vital and immediate, free from the labor and time intensity of working in oil,” she says. “It was just what I needed to restart my image making process after weeks absorbed in uncertainty and loss.

A new online exhibition from the Meyer Vogl Gallery focuses on artists during lockdown

It was inevitable that new art would start to emerge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. After all, long periods of isolation, heightened anxiety and mortal fear can be excellent artistic motivators. But we weren't necessarily expecting to see a lot of art spring up during the pandemic itself.

But Shelter, a new online group exhibition from the Meyer Vogl Gallery, is full of new paintings, collages and more by nine different artists…

While talking about her painting, Altman finishes her story with a sentiment that might just sum up what the Shelter exhibition is about, at least in part.

"I realized how important the process of creating is to me," she said, "and how it changes my mood. Just expressing what I'm feeling, getting it out, elevates me."

Altman becomes a more expressive painter when she's on Monhegan Island.

Gallery 1056, the studio artist-occupied gallery in Redux Contemporary Art Center, features a new show, The Magic of Monhegan, opening on Thurs. Sept. 12 during Redux's open studio hours. Head to Redux Thursday from 5-8 p.m. to check out Monhegan (and chat with studio artists, buy cool art, sip drinks, the usual fun).

Gallery 1056 is Redux's hidden gem, a space curated by and populated with studio artists. The Magic of Monhegan features work from studio artist Susan Altman, curated by fellow studio artist Marina Dunbar.

The inspiration for the show comes from Monhegan Island, a small island (only one square mile!) off the coast of Maine. The island is a popular retreat for artists, who have summered there for over a century. When Altman works on Monhegan her normally abstract pieces become more expressive, drawing from the island's natural beauty and charm.

Redux shows new work by Susan Altman

Redux Contemporary Art Center, 1056 King St., is hosting a new exhibition called “The Magic of Monhegan,” featuring works by resident abstract painter Susan Altman and curated by Marina Dunbar. An opening reception is scheduled for 5-8 p.m. Sept. 12, and the show runs through Nov. 4.

Altman was inspired by tiny, rugged Monhegan Island, located 10 miles off the coast of Maine. Various artists have made it their summer home, and about 40 lobster men remain through the winter. On Monhegan Island, Altman paints and sketches outside, responding intuitively to her natural surroundings.

Meyer Vogl Gallery hosts inaugural abstract show, "RAW"

Altman, who left the world of art for 25 years to pursue a successful career as a realtor, has returned, and with a fury. "My risk-taking is at an all time high," she laughs, "I only want to tackle something if it's a challenge." The artist, who loves German expressionism, often uses collage and the juxtaposition of "unlike things" in her pieces, sometimes creating three different works that she paints over, "many times I'll decide 'well, I learned a lot, but this is not where I want to be,' and that comes out in the final painting." 

Altman says she has had arthritis since her 20s, but she's never let that stop her from painting. "When my friends lament, oh I'm sore, I'm hurting, I tell them well, I'm celebrating." Altman's abstract work for RAW taps into this celebratory attitude, "I've become more comfortable with color, and you see that in my new pieces. I still have perspective, angle, juxtaposition, but there's a lot more frivolity, playfulness. It's raw in terms of being emotionally honest. When people see it I don't need for them to understand something about me, I hope they will understand something about themselves."

The Home of an Artist with No Rules

“Keep your eyes wide open…and, remember, there are no rules.”

Susan Altman has been reminding herself of these two philosophies ever since she started painting again, after a 25-year pause. And though she says there are guidelines that she taps into when she’s creating art, take one look around her Mt. Pleasant home, and it’s clear that she also calls upon them when collecting art.

Worlds together 2 artists years apart discover common ground through painting class at C of C

What happens when a young former ocean lifeguard and an older real estate agent meet in studio art class at the College of Charleston? What happens when they discover a certain shared aesthetic affinity, a similar work ethic, a like-minded willingness to make purposeful mistakes, an affection for big brushes and palette knives, a desire to delve deep into the emotions that underlie a work of art?

They team up and organize a pop-up exhibition.